Maximum Sleepover

Pizza Dinner

We had Aaron and Brookie come for sleepovers last night. Taylor's break has been filled with them if not with Jessie (my niece) than with Brookie. I love remembering some of my fave childhood times of sleepovers with my best friends. Talking late into the night!

This was Brookie's first official sleepover! She did it..ye there was a slight chance I would be driving to Fairfield later in the night but she did it. We were all so proud of her. There was lots of playing and running and girl time and boy time and ...."mom, the boys are in here again" and that followed by giggles from the boys and then mom yelling "boys leave the girls alone" followed by "oh man". Such fun! The boys were asleep by 9:20ish. The two talkers more like ten.

This morning I awaken to Aaron doing sprints up and down my stairs. He was just a giggling and I was not! I told him to get his scrawny butt into the room with the girls. Jake and Caden were still asleep. They are my sleepers and slept till way past 8:00. I then find out Brooke got up around 5:20 and proceeded to wake Tate around 6 something. Not real happy about that but they did make a pact that whoever got up first would wake the other. We will remedy that bright idea before the next sleepover!

Aunt Kimmy and Caden
Everyone wants to love on Trev

Other than that they were excellent. Even with Aunt Kris constantly making them clean up. Aunt Kimmy came to spend some time with me and have our kids exchange gifts and then they were all gone by 11AM.

My fave picture


Second fave with wee pupp escaping

We can't wait to do it again!!

Christmas 2008

Anxiously awaiting the go ahaead to come downstairs

The big geo-trax airport for Jakey Boy

The performers (they put on a show every year now)

Tate and her Gigi

Well~ It came and it is gone. It still amazes me how I get so hyped up like a little kid Christmas Eve day and the days leading up to it and by 4:00 Christmas Day I am wiped! No change in that this year but we had a wonderful Christmas! The kids got everything they wished for (of course) and some extras too!

Tate opening her school supply bucket!

Caden and his blower

Jake's big gift was he DS. I am learning fast that he has to have limited time on it or he would live on it. I am not real popular with him at the moment for setting time limits. Also, mommy is a little addicted to Super Mario Brothers!! Who is the DS for hmmmmm??? Tate got Barbies, lots of DS games a robe and a huge bucket with teaching supplies for my mom. She loves to play school! Caden...well he still doesn't realize the big idea yet! So, he got some clothes and some Mckey Mouse toys and a little blower he loves. I got the best gift from my sweet hubby....a NO-MOMMA WEEKEND!!!! What is that you ask...he and the kids leave town that is what it is..yes all three of them! They are leaving Friday and returning Sunday!!! He even contacted my three closest friends and had them clear some time. We are having a sleepover and then shopping and movie day YEAH!!! He also blessed me with a huge shadow box of Craig Biggio hitting his 3000 hits and a autographed ball:) He rocked that day (my hubby not Craig).

Safety First

We had lots of fun with family and the kids were very spoiled and blessed!

Christmas Vacation

We puppy feeling better

Jake and his train from the train show

We have had a heck of a beginning for our vacation...both boys got the tummy bug again last Thrusday night. Jake got over it quick but poor Caden is just today doing a bit better. The last two nights he has been up with tummy pains! Pray it is all over. We had this bug in the house for over 4 weeks and it has hit me, Caden and Taylee twice.

We started the vacation with many sleepovers. Tate went to my SIL's to hang with my niece and that turned me picking them up Sunday morning and them coming to church with me, an all day play date and that led to another sleepover just at our house. Jake got to have a sleepover with Granny and Paw Paw all by himself. Then Monday after gymnastics Brookie was going to come have a sleepover but Caden was throwing up again so Tate went to The Blackshear's.

Jess and Tate at their sleepover

Tuesday the baking and cooking began. I made two home-made pie crusts..have no idea how they will taste tomorrow! I made 4 dozen Christmas cookies. They are Uncle Ronnie's mommy's recipe...we call them Mimi's cookies! As you can see Jake has 1 or 10! He has been on a growth spurt! Eat...Eat...Eat...so much for the pounds I lost when I was sick. Having the kids home and an appetite back is not a good thing! I then made my spaghetti sauce for dinner with my folks tom.

Jake Cramming the cookies in

Today, Christmas Eve, I made the two pies...it is called Cherry Delight and is Michael's moms recipe..we shall see! We attended Christmas Eve services at 4:30 and followed up with our Christmas Eve traditional dinner at whataburger and then we went looking at lights. Now all are in bed and I am about to go play Santa....I have already eaten the cookie;)

Looking at lights...weird lights from the glare

Christmas Parties

White Elephant (bad choice)
Sitting with Coach April (she left today)

Her new coach on the left Jamie...her other coach Sean Golden (yes the almost olympian and one of her old coaches who just moved megan)

Best Friends

At his donut party still with the face

The face

Pretty much never changes..I took 20 like this

See.....

Wee puppy hangin out before the perfrmance..he shouted out "Hi Bubba!"

Sweet girl in the morning (not so sweet by that night)

This week has been CRAZY!!! Jake's Christmas Party and sing along at school...enjoy those pictures..can you say STAGE FRIGHT???? Man......

Then Tate had her gymnastics Christmas Party. I will not give you the details lets just say White Elephant is not made for 6 year olds....DRAMA!!!! She was sure not happy with the off brand lotion she came home with! We had a knock down drag out over being grateful. Let's just say two tired Bench girls equals..DRAMA! She is so me. She says the most irrational things when she is upset! Only I can say I do that...no one else...will deny it!

Dallas Trip

Ashley, Reid and Uncle Mike
Uncle Steve and Tate

Wee Puppy LOVED Uncle Steve (more than riri and that bugged her so bad)

Jake and Reid

The boys hanging out

Jake and Daddy at Train Show

Don't ask...his weird face! He was being a dweeb!

In the car on the way

Wee Pupp is out!

Last weekend we took a trip to Dallas to see The Bancrofts and for me to see and love on Dana. I got to spend Friday nioght with her and her hubby Jason!

**Please keep Dana's family, especially her mom Debbie, in your prayers. Dana was a student of mine and we became really close and she is really like my little sister. Her mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer last January. She is very young and Dana is only 25! Debbie has been given 4-10 months to live. This holiday season is very difficult for them. Dana is very close to her mom and this has been very difficult for her. What is most amazing is Debbie's faith through all of this. She is truly a walking example of complete faith and trust in God's plan.**

Michael and Steve took the boys to a model train show in Ft. Worth as you can see in the pictures Jake was in Heaven!! He is a train man for sure!

We had a blast! We had not seen The Bancroft's or their kids in many years (too many and we will not be making that mistake again). It sure gets harder the older the kids get!

They had a hot tub the kids had a blast in (mom was not willing to let them in since it was cold and all of our asthma issues. Dad vetoed me..they had fun..all came home sick!) Caden was the best! he fell in love with their two giant lab's Jedi and Goldie. he kept calling the Deep..my SIL's dogs name. They were three times his size and he loved for them to lick on him and they just followed him around. Super sweet dogs. Wish I would have gotten pic's of that!

Cheri and I had a shopping trip and had a blast. I got some sketcher boots I LOVE!!

See more pictures on my flickr account to the right!!

Roof and Snow

BRRR
So exciting

Look closely and you can see the snow!

The roof

The "wooden fork" Jake brought me to spank daddy (we lost the wooden spoon!)

The roof

Michael cleaning up his mess

My first look UGH! That is a big hole for one leg

Here is the pictures from Michael's roof incident AND from the snow from today! The kids were so excited. I went to take pictures this afternoon and my camera battery was dead. But, Tate just yelled down and it is snowing again!!

Crazy Times

Well......I am actually catching a moment to myself and lately that is a novelty. I promise to post the picture of Michael's roof drama soon.

We have had the tummy bug making its way through the house the last week. I got it last Monday and I swear I have not been that sick in 8 years. I lost 5 pounds in 8 hours. To bad it didn't stay off:( Caden got it last Wed. night at midnight OF COURSE. Why is it they never get the tummy bug during the day! I hate changing crib sheets.

Tate came home yesterday from school not feeling good and it kicked in 5 minutes after she entered the house. Luckily for her it did hit before bed and by 11PM she was done. Thank God for leftover phenegran suppositories.

So, I am praying Jake and Michael are in the clear! Heading to Dallas for the weekend to visit our friends The Bancrofts and the boys are going to the model train show.

Happy Thanksgiving.....moving on

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving. Lots of family time. Jake is healing well. He has been the best patient except for taking his medicine but we are now done with that. He is even eating some "crunchy" things like crackers.

Friday it is our annual put up the Christmas decorations day. The kids had a blast going through their ornaments. I buy them one every year and they love looking back and hearing the stories to each one. As we were decorating the fire place Michael was up in the attic cleaning up. We had several leaks during the hurricane that had to be repaired and they are finally done. He was bringing down all the gross blankets and buckets and sweeping when I heard a loud crash. I screamed his name several times and he never answered so me and the kids took off running. He finally answered he was fine he was "just a flippin idiot". He has been around me way to long he is talking like me now! Taylor yells at me not to come any further. That is when I realized his voice was coming from Tate's bathroom (hmm wasn't he in the attic)?? Well, half of him was and the other half was in Taylor's bathroom. I just walked away and let him clean it up. (I did get a few pictures and was quite proud I didn't loose my cool...that much!)

So, with that being fixed now we started the week back to school. I was actually a little sad to have to get up and going. Michael had been home for four days and would have loved a lazy day at home with the kids with all his crap gone!

Monday afternoon I started feeling really bad and ended up with the stomach flu. I lost 5 pounds in 8 hours..now how do I keep that off?? I was wiped for two days after and still feel a bit queasy. My MIL and mom save the day. My mom ran Taylor around the last two days and my sweet MIL kept the boys so I could sleep all day Tuesday! THANK YOU!!! So, last night at 12AM Caden gets it. UGH! I am so tired and sleep deprived! I still am really weak and am frustrated b/c tomorrow was his day to go to school..I know selfish but its one day! Anyway, he is sleeping on a palette on my floor and my mom once again is running Taylor around!

Hopefully a better post next week! Pictures of roof coming soon!